Veterans Benefits

San Joaquin College of Law is committed to making a law degree accessible for our nation’s veterans and their dependents. The SJCL certifying official, in the Financial Aid Office, acts as a liaison between the law school, students and all agencies involved with VA benefits, including but not limited to; Chapter 33-Post 9/11, Chapter 30–GI Bill®;, Chapter 35–Dependents, and Chapter 31–Vocational Rehabilitation.

To determine eligibility for benefits, the VA requires that you complete form VA22-1990. You may apply online here. To access the “GI Bill®Comparison Tool”, which compares benefits at post-secondary institutions, click here (Note: This site requires the latest version of your browser).

You may also call the regional office in Oklahoma (for California Schools) at 888-442-4552 for further information and assistance.

Once the VA22-1990 is submitted, the Department of Veteran Affairs will send you a Certificate of Eligibility for Education Benefits. A copy of this certificate along with a copy of the DD Form 214 (certificate of release or discharge), if applicable, must be submitted to the SJCL Financial Aid Office.

You must have all required documents on file and be accepted and registered for classes before SJCL can certify your enrollment to the online VAOnce processing center.

Maintaining VA Status at SJCL

Once you start receiving benefits, you must maintain satisfactory attendance and progress. If you do not meet the standards set by SJCL (see student handbook), the certifying official will notify the VA and your benefits may be terminated.

If you change the number of units enrolled in, either by increase or decrease in status, you need to inform the certifying official. Failure to do so may result in overpayment or underpayment of your benefits.

Veterans Educational Benefits Chapters

All veterans are separated into different categories (chapters) that define the class of benefits received. To identify the eligibility requirements and benefits, click the link to the chapter in question.

National Guard or Reserve and Reserve Educational Assistance Program("REAP" - formerly Chapters 1606 and 1607). You may be eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits depending on the dates of your periods of service. If we receive a new application for REAP on or after November 25, 2015, we will evaluate your eligibility for all programs, including Post-9/11 GI Bill®, and may award you benefits under a different program. If you’re using REAP but would like to learn how to make an irrevocable election to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill® instead, please call us at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (7 a.m. – 6 p.m. CST Monday – Friday) to speak with an Education Call Center Agent.

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs- Ascertain your eligibility under the various assistance programs. Also, veterans may verify enrollment every month online using WAVE, or by telephone you may call (877) 823-2378.

Additional Resources

American Legion- The nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization.

Military.com- Benefiting the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard.

For VA Assistance Contact

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official US government web site at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.